Freedom Riders

Jan. 28, 2019—The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day trip, now in its third year, provides members of the Vanderbilt community with the opportunity to learn more about the history of the civil rights movement and current efforts to further King’s legacy.

Jan. 16, 2017—Standing on the dais from which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos charged college students gathered Saturday at Fisk University to live out the civil rights leader's legacy.

Feb. 10, 2015—Musician Ivor "Jerry" Moore, one of the original Freedom Riders, will be featured at a Feb. 23 performance event sponsored by Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Sep. 26, 2014—John Seigenthaler died July 11 at the age of 86 after a life that saw him serve as special assistant to U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy; suffer a brutal beating by segregationists while attempting to aid 1960s Freedom Riders; become a founding editor of what is now one of the nation’s largest newspapers, USA Today; and win the respect and admiration of generations.

Nov. 6, 2013—After finding the original mugshots of the Freedom Riders, Eric Etheridge, BA’79, took on a unique project; he tracked down 328 of the original activists, photographing them again and displaying their current portraits alongside their mugshots. The portraits are collected in Etheridge’s book, “Breach of Peace.” Etheridge recently visited the Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.

May. 17, 2011—In 2007, Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff retraced the 1961 Freedom Rides with some of the original Freedom Riders as they traveled to Montgomery and Birmingham, Ala. Among the participants was Congressman John Lewis, Diane Nash, Bernard Lafayette, the Rev. C.T. Vivian, Jim Zwerg, John Seigenthaler and the Rev. James Lawson. More than four decades...

Apr. 8, 2011—Early Civil Rights period focus of discussion Eric Etheridge, Charles Euchner and Alex Heard – three Vanderbilt University alumni who have written important books about the early years of the Civil Rights Movement – will return to their alma mater for a discussion and book signing on April 21. “From Jim Crow to the March...